慔ow did you get that, Judy??asks Nelson, sitting on one of the desks, which is the cue for everyone else to sit down. Jo looks as if she is missing her yoga ball.
慣ina抯 daughter sent it to me,?says Judy. 慣ina was Avril抯 cleaner and she mentioned taking the picture of the heron on the day that she found Avril抯 body. Tina tried to contact me, saying that someone had been at Avril抯 house that day. But, before I could speak to Tina, she was taken ill with Covid and died later. Her daughter said that Tina had sent me a message. 揟ell Judy it was you.?Last night I realised she was saying, 揑t was Hugh.?I wondered how she抎 guessed and thought that the evidence must be in the picture.?
慓reat work, Judy,?says Nelson. 慦e抳e been finding out a bit more about friend Hugh, haven抰 we??
慪es,?says Tanya. 慖t turns out he specialised in befriending women and then belittling them, putting thoughts of suicide into their heads. Saffron Wilson said that he was creepy, always going on about women抯 weight.?
Judy remembers the picture of Hugh and Avril on Cromer pier. 慡he said that dress made her look fat.?She remembers too the dead wife who was 慳s slim as anything? She should have seen the warning signs, but she抎 been taken in by the elderly man with his interest in local history and touching friendship with the dead woman. She says, 慖 think Hugh locked Avril抯 door to make sure she didn抰 escape. If his fingerprints are on the handle, we抣l have evidence.?
慣hat抯 true,?says Nelson. 慣he rest is almost impossible to prove, sadly. If he hadn抰 kidnapped Zoe Hilton, we抎 have nothing on him.?
慖s he in custody??asks Judy.
慪es,?says Tanya. 慦e抮e holding him for twenty-four hours. We抳e done an interview under caution but haven抰 charged him yet.?
慦e need to get this right,?says Nelson. 慖 don抰 want Baxter claiming that he was just confused, playing the Alzheimer抯 card. He locked Zoe in that underground room at Steward抯 House and kept her there for two days. He brought her painkillers and tried to persuade her to take an overdose. She said she almost gave in.?
慣hat抯 horrible,?says Judy.
慗anet Meadows says that she heard noises but she put it down to ghosts,?says Nelson. 慙ike you do.?
慖t is a very haunted place,?says Judy. 慍athbad says so.?
慖 can抰 wait until Cathbad抯 better so I can tell him what I think of his lunatic ideas,?says Nelson.
慦eren抰 you in his dream??says Judy slyly. 慪ou could have told him then.?She has the pleasure of seeing the boss colour up behind his mask.
慗oe McMahon heard voices too,?says Tony. 慔e said he thought it was unquiet spirits.?
慦ho抯 talking about spirits??says a voice. 慚ine抯 a double brandy.?
And there in the doorway, wearing a Chelsea scarf over his nose and mouth instead of a mask, is Clough.
Ruth hardly notices Nelson leave. She sleeps until nine and is woken up by Kate and Flint, both demanding breakfast. It抯 another lovely day so she and Kate take their toast into the back garden. This is one of the only good things about lockdown, thinks Ruth ?no six-thirty starts, waking in the darkness with the radio alarm flashing, no drive through the rush hour to deposit Kate at school or childminder. The sun is warm on her face and she has just had a text from Judy saying that Cathbad is sitting up in bed and talking. Flint is testing his claws on the apple tree and Kate practising crow pose. The real thing, Corbyn, is sitting on a fence post as if carved in wood.
慣ell Cathbad we抮e thinking of him,?Ruth tells the bird.
The crow watches her for a moment. His bright, dark eyes reminding her of something. Of someone. Then he caws once, spreads his wings and rises into the air.
慔i!?Zoe appears at the fence. She抯 in her smart pyjamas and her hair is skewered in an artless bun on the top of her head. She抯 been imprisoned underground with only bread and water for three days and she still looks better than Ruth. Only the dark shadows under her eyes betray her.